Associated Press
Egg prices hit a record high as the U.S. contends with an ongoing bird flu outbreak, but consumers didn’t need government figures released Wednesday to tell them eggs are terribly expensive and hard to find at times.
The latest monthly consumer price index showed that the average price of a dozen Grade A eggs in U.S. cities reached $4.95 in January, eclipsing the previous record of $4.82 set two years earlier and more than double the low of $2.04 that was recorded in August 2023.
The spike in egg prices was the biggest since the nation’s last bird flu outbreak in 2015 and accounted for roughly two-thirds of the total increase in food costs last month, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Of course, that is only the nationwide average. A carton of eggs can cost $10 or more in some places. And specialized varieties, such as organic and cage-free eggs, are even more expensive.
Relief is not expected any time soon. Egg prices typically spike around Easter due to high holiday demand. And the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicted last month that egg prices were likely to go up 20% this year.
Even if shoppers can afford eggs, they may have difficulty finding them at times. Some grocers are having trouble keeping their shelves stocked, and customers are encountering surcharges and limits on how many cartons they can buy at a time.
The main reason that eggs are more expensive is the bird flu outbreak. When the virus is found on a farm, the entire flock is killed to limit the spread of disease. Because massive egg farms may have millions of birds, just one outbreak may put a dent in the egg supply. Nearly 158 million birds have been slaughtered overall since the outbreak began.
The Agriculture Department says more than 23 million birds were slaughtered last month and more than 18 million were killed in December to limit the spread of the bird flu virus. Those numbers include turkeys and chickens raised for meat, but the vast majority of them were egg-laying chickens.
And when there is an outbreak on a farm, it often takes several months to dispose of the carcasses, sanitize the barns and raise new birds until they are old enough to start producing eggs, so the effects linger.
Bird flu cases often spike in the spring and fall when wild birds are migrating because they are the main source of the virus, but cases can pop up any time of year. The virus has also spread to cattle and other species, and dozens of people — mostly farmworkers taking care of ill animals — have been sickened.
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Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
11 comments
PeterH
February 15, 2025 at 5:33 pm
Everything prepared with eggs cost more.
It’s No Yolk!
February 15, 2025 at 6:17 pm
Uhh – bird flu was to blame last fall when Biden was falsely accused as well.
Michael K
February 15, 2025 at 9:38 pm
It’s the Trump economy. Everything is going to cost more. Billionaire oligarchs don’t care about you little people.
Peachy
February 16, 2025 at 5:37 am
Where were you under the last administration? Everything went up in price under the Slo Joe administration, yet you, the media and others didn’t say a word about it. Fascinating really.
Ocean Joe
February 16, 2025 at 9:08 am
I dont blame Trump for egg prices, but it brings back memories of his last term, when I see empty store shelves….you remember that dont you?
Seems to me everybody was talking about prices going up while Biden was president, that’s why Trump got elected in the first place. He discovered the word “groceries” the other day, went on and on about it, and then left to play golf while Hegseth and Rubio pull the rug out from under Ukraine. Phenomenal as usual!
JD
February 16, 2025 at 10:10 am
Even if it wasn’t his “fault”, he campaigned on making them cheaper.
And I don’t seem to remember Biden not saying there wasn’t inflation and I remember him trying to fix shit. What’s Trump doing? Adding more tariffs? Firing the government workers that might help but giving billions to Musk in the form of contracts?
Why you giving him a pass on this or his last time in office? He didn’t cause the pandemic, but he sure the hell removed the safe guards that were in place prior and then didn’t have a plan. If it wasn’t for Fauci, it would have been a whole lot worse and you assh0les only want to demonize him.
Get the hell out of here. Paid shill.
Peachy
February 16, 2025 at 1:24 pm
Paid shill? Yes, that would be Fauci of the Democratic Party. 😜
JD
February 16, 2025 at 6:36 pm
Oh, you mean the guy that dedicated 40 years of his professional life to public service for the $400K/yr your ilk likes to toss around? Given his creds, he could have been making millions if not billions in the private sector.
Keep trying paid shill.
Earl Pitts American
February 16, 2025 at 9:04 am
Good Morn ‘Ting America,
For the Dook 4 Brains Leftys to complain and pretend the price of eggs is someone’s fault, other then the 08iden Sadministration’s fault, just shows how so many Leftys see the price of eggs as “All They Got”.
Poor saps …. it must really $uck to be a Dook 4 Brains Lefty with Trump Deraingement Syndrom.
The above Wisdom has been brought to you by Earl Pitts American.
Ocean Joe
February 16, 2025 at 9:14 am
Earl, one thing Biden did was to take concrete steps to attempt to deal with climate, and if you think a warming planet isnt going to affect food production and supply, ask yourself why olive oil is so expensive. Of course if your pal Rick was still here, he’d point out that you probably just use lard and dont care.
Classic kick the can down the road and make it somebody else’s problem which is why 78 year old Trump is axing anything remotely related to recognizing climate as a factor in our environmental and economic futures. Kind of like our last two governors, unlike insurance companies which recognize the facts and are either leaving the state or charging accordingly.
JD
February 16, 2025 at 10:12 am
Eggs is only the beginning.
If they have TDS, you are a Cultist, Propagandist, and Apologist. I’d say on the ledger of mental health, you’re more in the red.